Chapter 26: Chapter Twenty-Six: Minato IV
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December 27th, Year 68, Sarutobi Residence.
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"Be careful, he should be Sasori of the Red Sand. He is known for his deadly poisons and deadly puppets," warned Sensei as he fought alongside Lord Third against Orochimaru.
Nodding in understanding, Lady Tsunade and I took our stances, preparing to face Sasori and his ten puppets.
"Yellow Flash and the Slug Princess... Let's see how strong you really are," Sasori declared with red eyes, taunting us.
We knew we couldn't let this battle drag on, considering we were still inside the village. A prolonged fight would disrupt the peace, so we were determined to end it quickly.
Having Kuro guarding and sealing off the area gave me peace of mind. I knew I could focus on the fight without worries, and we could always compensate Lord Third later for any property damage caused during the battle.
With Lady Tsunade's godly strength, she launched herself forward to end the charade quickly. However, Sasori proved to be a formidable adversary, as he manipulated Iron Sand to counter her powerful attack.
Despite the tremendous force behind Lady Tsunade's blow, Sasori seemed unfazed, his eyes glowing eerily. He appeared to revel in the challenge.
"Impressive," Sasori murmured, his voice tinged with a sinister edge. "But it will take more than that to defeat me, the Master Puppeteer."
Sasori wasted no time and swiftly commanded his puppets to attack us again. Their movements were eerie, fluid, and calculated, demanding our constant vigilance.
Dodging and weaving, I relied on my speed and Hiraishin Kunai to dismantle the puppets one by one. Lady Tsunade, with her immense strength, crushed them with devastating blows, reducing wood and metal to pieces.
However, Sasori had more tricks up his sleeve. He unleashed a cloud of poisonous gas, attempting to incapacitate us and turn the tide of the battle. Quick on her feet, Lady Tsunade activated her medical jutsu to protect both of us from the toxic fumes. Meanwhile, I utilized the Great Breakthrough Jutsu to clear the air and regain the advantage.
We refused to allow Sasori to dictate the course of the battle any longer. With a burst of speed, I closed in on him, determined to bring an end to the fight swiftly. Employing my unrivaled Flying Thunder God Technique, I materialized behind Sasori in an instant, poised to strike.
To my astonishment, Sasori had anticipated my move. He swiftly maneuvered his body, evading my attack with uncanny agility. His piercing red eyes locked onto mine, radiating a chilling blend of amusement and deadly intent.
As our clash intensified, it became increasingly clear that Sasori was a foe not to be underestimated. His mastery of puppetry was unparalleled, and his knowledge of poisons made him a formidable adversary. Nevertheless, I remained resolute in my mission to protect the village and those dear to me. Failure was not an option.
With each exchange of blows, Sasori's puppets grew more aggressive, their movements synchronized with his own. The battlefield transformed into a frenzied dance of flashing blades and intertwining chakra strings.
Lady Tsunade, known for her indomitable spirit, unleashed a relentless barrage of powerful punches and kicks, generating shockwaves that reverberated through the area. Her goal was to disrupt Sasori's control over his puppets, creating openings for me to exploit.
I meticulously observed Sasori's every move, analyzing his fighting style and diligently searching for any vulnerabilities. His puppetry was intricate and precise, making it challenging to find an opening. Nevertheless, I refused to lose focus; I had to trust my instincts and seize any opportunity that presented itself.
As the battle raged on, I noticed that Sasori's movements had a rhythm, a pattern that I could exploit. His mastery of puppetry also became his downfall. With a well-timed Flash Step, I moved behind him, evading a barrage of sharp projectiles and the metallic tail from his back, and launched a precise Rasengan directly at his core.
It seemed like my plan had worked. Or so I thought. As it turned out, Sasori's body itself was a puppet shell, and from within the destroyed upper layer emerged a teenager with red hair and red eyes. It was clear that he had transformed himself into a puppet, revealing the monstrosity he had become.
"He turned himself into a puppet..." Lady Tsunade stated grimly.
Sasori appeared amused by our reaction, laughing and clapping his hands as he declared, "It's been a long time since I had to use this body to fight. Aren't you guys really strong? Maybe I should get a few helpers... How about a... HUNDRED!"
His intentions were clear, and he was about to unleash a devastating jutsu. Lady Tsunade and I readied ourselves to strike, but suddenly, Sasori froze in disbelief.
"What have you done to me? Why can't I move?" he shouted angrily.
It was then that we noticed dark tendrils enveloping Sasori's body. It was the telltale sign of the Shadow Binding Jutsu, and I knew it had to be Kuro's doing.
Over at the other battlefield, it seemed Orochimaru was experiencing the same fate. He too was paralyzed and unable to move.
"What is this? Someone from the Nara Clan? But since when do they have someone with enough chakra to bind me so thoroughly!" Orochimaru sounded surprised.
Indeed, if I didn't know about Kuro's abilities, I would be surprised too. The Nara Clan's jutsus were potent, but the amount of chakra needed for prolonged battles limited their effectiveness. However, Kuro's enormous chakra reserves seemed to overcome that limitation.
"Don't relax, they didn't seem to be fighting with everything... They were definitely the second distraction," Kuro's voice whispered from the shadows.
His words immediately put us on high alert.
"Fufufufu, you think you have won by capturing us? Well, too bad, because we aren't really after the scroll of seals... Although getting it would have helped a lot in my research," Orochimaru grinned evilly, still bound by Kuro's shadow.
Sensei's anger flared as he demanded answers, "What do you mean, teme? Do you have any other accomplices? What's your target?"
Orochimaru seemed to revel in our agitation as he teasingly revealed, "Well, I am very cooperative, you see. So, I will tell you. Not that it will matter anyway. You might know of a gentleman who claims to be Uchiha Madara, yes?" His words sent a shiver down my spine.
"Fufufufu, so you do know him, isn't that delightful. You see, Uchiha Madara doesn't really like his clan members, you see. Fufufufufu, while the strongest of the village is fighting with us, and most of the important ninjas are either busy with the Kumo delegates or at the little Hyuuga twins' birthday party, Madara decided to seize the opportunity to harvest a few eyes for his collection."
The masked man! Was he targeting the Uchihas? Was this for revenge? Or did he have another motive?
My thoughts raced, and it became clear that there was only one answer.
"He wants the eyes doesn't he… Just like Danzo!," I gritted my teeth, voicing my realization to Orochimaru.
"Fufufufu, who knows? He gives the orders, and we follow. And does it even matter? After all... By this time, most of the Uchiha in the compound should be dead. Will this make the remaining Uchihas distrust the village? Will it lead them to seek revenge against the culprits? Who knows... We can always find out," Orochimaru taunted with a satisfied smirk, clearly enjoying the success of their plan.
"You think you can escape this, teme? You will be executed for treason," Sensei shouted, his emotions running high.
Orochimaru seemed ready to respond, but then we heard Kuro's amused voice cut through the tension.
"You know, I had a few dozen scenarios where this battle was just another distraction, as I already know about that masked bastard. And from what he did before, I had plans for three situations: one being him kidnapping either Aunt Kushina or Naruto, or both; the second being him attacking the village directly while everyone is distracted... and finally, the third... him trying to steal some Sharingans while everyone else is busy."
Hearing Kuro's calm voice, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. He had anticipated this. Thank the sage.
"Who are you?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as he glared in the direction of the voice.
For the first time, Kuro emerged from the shadows, wearing a Blank White mask.
"Fine I will introduce myself… My name is Cloud. And you are ugly. You may now applaud," Kuro said cheekily with a dramatic bow, chuckling afterward. "Not that you can with your hands bound and everything."
It was Lord Third who spoke up, his voice filled with agitation. "K-Cloud, did anything happen at the Uchiha compound?"
Kuro, now in his persona as Cloud, nodded solemnly. "I had anticipated this might happen, so I had Old man Gorilla, Old man Broody Eyes, and Uchiha Moves-A-Lot stationed there with my clone. That bastard did try to start something, but he was detected too quickly. With me coordinating and restraining the masked bastard's movements, the three of them was able to beat him back."
Kuro's words brought a sense of relief, but also curiosity.
"Honestly, it was a surprise to see how strong that masked bastard was..." Kuro finished in a solemn tone.
Lord Third's next question hung in the air, filled with seriousness. "Was he killed or captured?" The disbelief in Orochimaru and Sasori's eyes was evident. They never expected the supposed 'Madara' to be beaten back.
Kuro fell silent for a moment, and that silence spoke volumes.
"He escaped," Kuro said, his tone laced with annoyance.
I couldn't help but express my shock. "Did he use his space-time ninjutsu to escape? Didn't you have the Seal to lock Space?"
Kuro sighed, his expression growing serious. "I did lock the space... But then he unleashed a massive jutsu that could have wiped out a large part of the compound if old man Broody Eyes hadn't used his Special Sharingan Jutsu to stop the attack head on... he got injured though." Kuro fell silent for a moment, and then continued solemnly, dropping a bombshell, "The masked man knows Wood Release... And we were in the heart of the village. We had to prioritize containing the jutsu rather than capturing him, and he seized that opportunity to escape the sealed area and then vanish with his cheat Jutsu."
The revelation stunned not only us but also the intruders.
"Wood Release? How?" Lady Tsunade and Orochimaru exclaimed in shock simultaneously.
"Was there significant damage?" I asked, my worry evident. An enemy possessing the highly coveted and formidable Wood Release was a catastrophe waiting to happen.
Kuro shook his head and replied, "There was some damage to the properties, but I used my shadows to ensure everyone in the area was safely evacuated. However, many businesses have been affected. The masked bastard aimed for a quick attack and escape. It's puzzling... Some of his actions seem illogical, almost as if he's losing his sanity."
I sighed, contemplating the situation. It was indeed peculiar that the masked man would stage such an elaborate event in broad daylight, when he could have easily conducted his scheme under the cover of darkness. Moreover, he chose a time when the village's strongest members were on patrol for the police force. Something didn't add up. It felt like another trap.
Kuro seemed to share my suspicions, as he created a shadow clone and dispersed it before falling silent. Seconds ticked by, and a sense of foreboding filled the air.
My heart skipped a beat at Kuro's reaction. Something had undoubtedly occurred, and it couldn't be good news. Without keeping us waiting, Kuro spoke up, "There was an attack on the ambassadors... None of them died as we had two whole squads of ANBU watching them. But the lead delegate was injured... I believe this was one of their backup plans."
All eyes turned toward Orochimaru, who maintained a poker face. However, even he seemed perplexed, as did Sasori, who was studying Kuro intently. Sensei grabbed Orochimaru by the neck, demanding answers. Orochimaru could only respond, "It wasn't part of our plans."
For now, I decided to deal with Orochimaru and Sasori after the T&I department had a chance to interrogate them. We needed to get to the bottom of this mysterious attack.
The situation was becoming increasingly complicated, and we might have to face diplomatic tensions with Kumo. Kuro's voice broke the silence, "It seems like, even though we protected our interests, we still find ourselves in a troublesome situation. I don't think Kumo will go too far with their demands... Hopefully. But I didn't think someone could bypass the two teams of ANBU and harm the delegates. It feels like they deliberately let themselves be attacked... Were they sent to die here and put the blame on us from the start? What a troublesome situation."
I couldn't help but agree with Kuro's frustration. The attack plan appeared too deliberate, and there were too many coincidences. In the ninja world, coincidences were often rare.
Now, all we could do was hope that the negotiations with Kumo wouldn't escalate into a war, unless, of course, that was precisely what they wanted. The situation had become intricate, and we needed to tread carefully to avoid being ensnared in a larger, more dangerous scheme.
…
…
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Underneath, the underneath, the underneath, the underneath! The fucking underneaths.
Has Obito really gotten crazy after failing his ninetails plan? Will he take more drastic measures after this upset? Fugaku revealed his Mangekyo, will he become more active?
And what is this shit about Kumo? Its almost as if… Hmmm.. know what? We will see.
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